Latest news with #PoppySoper
BBC News
7 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Kelly replaces injured Soper in Wales Euro 2025 squad
Goalkeeper Poppy Soper has suffered an injury in training and has been replaced in the Wales Euro 2025 squad by Aston Villa teenager Soffia 23, is unattached and the Football Association of Wales have yet to disclose the nature of her is the only position where teams are permitted to make a change during the tournament, meaning 18-year old Kelly can take her place on the Wales bench against England."It's a tough one to take," Wales boss Rhian Wilkinson said."Poppy got injured in our last training session. She's been a phenomenal support to our goalkeeping union."Soper is the second Wales goalkeeper to suffer an injury on Wales duty this year, after Laura O'Sullivan-Jones suffered an ACL injury in Sweden in the Nations League.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wales trio relish being youngest goalkeeper unit at Euro 2025
While Wales have some of the most capped players at Euro 2025, their goalkeeping union will be the youngest at the tournament in the age of 23, Leicester City's Olivia Clark is Wales' most experienced goalkeeper with 30 caps, despite the fact that just seven years ago she was playing Sunday League football in Lincolnshire and working part-time in aged 23 is Poppy Soper, a regular at Wales youth level, but the Newport-born goalkeeper is yet to make her senior international back-up goalkeeper Safia Middleton-Patel is considered one of the brightest prospects in Welsh football, but the Manchester United goalkeeper with four caps to her name is 20 years old."It is unusual, but I wouldn't change it for the world, we've got a great group here," Clark told BBC Sport Wales."I'm a senior goalkeeper at 23, it is something quite rare, I have had to take a different role on." Clark, who is expected to start Wales' Euro 2025 opener in Lucerne on Saturday, 5 June against Netherlands – Wales women's first major tournament match – says the dynamic between the trio works for them."Even though we are young we do have a lot of experience between us, less so at club level, we've all been around camps and international football for a long time now," she said."It is something different. We all support each other and we know where each other are at in our careers. I think that is nice."Middleton-Patel, who has spoken in recent months about her autism, says the goalkeepers support each other."We have really built together and come together as a team, but more as a family," she said."Our week in Portugal [for a warm weather training camp] really brought us closer together, knowing each other on a personal level and enjoying being together."
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Without a club, but Wales' Roberts focuses on Euros
Wales defender Rhiannon Roberts says she will put her future to one side this summer as she gets set to head to the Euros without a 34, has spent the past two seasons with Real Betis having joined the Spanish side in 2023 following a spell at Roberts has left Betis at the end of her contract, making her one of three unattached players in Rhian Wilkinson's squad for Griffiths is also without a club after finishing her deal at Southampton, while goalkeeper Poppy Soper is looking for her next move after leaving the returning Sophie Ingle is leaving Chelsea after seven years this summer and Hannah Cain will leave Leicester City at the end of her says the profile of Wales' first appearance at a women's major tournament will provide "a shop window" for players like her - but insists questions over what comes next at club level are not on her mind."I just want to give it everything and just focus on Euros - I don't want to be focusing on anything else," Roberts said."I just want to go and give it my all. I want to purely focus on being there with my team, for my nation, and just putting my body on the line. I don't want to think about anything else." Sleepless nights from past Switzerland trip Roberts won the first of her 79 caps 10 years says the wait for a first major finals appearance has been too long to let the lack of clarity on her future come into her journey to the European Championship has included qualification near-misses, one of which came in Switzerland. Roberts was a goalscorer as Wales led the Swiss in Zurich in a World Cup play-off in 2022, only for the hosts to triumph with seconds remaining in extra-time, denying Gemma Grainger's side in the cruellest of fashions."I've never felt heartbreak like that, to be honest," Roberts said. "I'd rather have lost on penalties. I didn't sleep for two weeks and had to get sleeping tablets by the end."I remember going on the next camp and we did a review and I thought 'oh, I can't see this again'."Happily, Roberts is one of 17 of the 23 players involved in that Switzerland defeat who eventually reached a major tournament under Rhian Wilkinson. "Everything shapes us to be the people we are. Maybe if that had gone differently, we wouldn't be in this moment now either," Roberts added. "It's like everything paved the way for this to be the year. Going back hasn't got anything to do with being there now and giving our best while we're there." Roberts, a popular member of the Wales squad, hopes the wait to feature in a major tournament will be worth was given news of her inclusion in the squad during a telephone call with head coach Wilkinson."I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I've been in squads for 10 years but you're still just waiting to hear that line of 'I'm taking you to the Euros, you're in the squad'," were further concerns for Roberts when she picked up a groin problem when with Wales for the Nations League games against Denmark and Italy earlier this summer."I just thought 'oh no, not now'," said Roberts, who suffered a grade-two groin tear."But I'm on the plane! It was terrible timing because I've always been so good at looking after myself and I think maybe it was a case of back-to-back seasons for six years catching up with me."But I've been back in the training pitch with the physio and hopefully when we go to Portugal for our camp I'll be with the team doing everything that I can possible to get myself on the pitch."
